An inherent problem using visible-light light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as light sources in a vehicle headlamp is that, unlike incandescent or halogen lights, such (visible-light) LEDs, sometimes called “cool-beam” lights, do not produce significant light in the infrared, or at least not enough to cause any cover (plastic or glass, lens or merely protective) to warm up when the light is turned on and passes through the cover, but such warming is necessary to keep ice or snow from forming on the headlamp cover while the vehicle is being operated. LEDs, however, are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to “warm-beam” light sources largely because of efficiency, but also because they offer more flexibility in design.
What is needed, therefore, is an LED headlamp according to a design that provides heat to the headlamp cover, in sufficient amount to keep snow or ice from forming on the headlamp cover while the vehicle is in operation.